Why is Joss Whedon on My Shirt?

The Leisure King has been on hiatus due to non-leisure commitments, namely, figuring out my future, and will continue to be until all grad school applications are submitted. But I am here to bring you a very personal and special blog post today that I just could not hold back. It was prompted last night when I was asked "Why is Joss Whedon on your shirt?" Since I continually get questions like this by those who cannot understand my dedication to the man and his work, I have decided to briefly outline why Joss Whedon is so special.

Now I'm not going to discuss Joss's high level of integrity and dedication to quality that equals that of Pixar's. I'm not going to discuss his boundless creativity, originality, and media innovation. I'm not going to discuss his fully realized characters, immersive worlds and mythologies, or skills as a good old-fashioned storyteller. I'm not even going to discuss how his talents cross all media, from comic books, to cinema and TV, to music composition. I'm going to discuss the one thing that separates him from all other writers and contributors of pop culture: Joss Whedon knows that life really sucks.

No matter who you are, life is unrelentingly hard and filled with horrible, endless pain, but the moments and memories of happiness you can find in it make it all worth while. This very simple, universal idea is the crux of everything Joss writes and it is what makes his work so meaningful and endearing to his fervent fans. His characters are always in pain, anxious, fed up, scared, uncertain, and worried about the future, but they press on. Just like you and me and every human on this planet. Life never gets easier, it only gets harder and more complex.

For example, let's look at Buffy The Vampire Slayer because it is the most blatant allegory for life. The Hellmouth-topping-town of Sunnydale and the constant stream of demons and evil forces that attack it are the fantasy manifestation of the problems and terrible crap that we must face ourselves every day. It is Buffy's destiny to be the protector. There are no loop holes, no way out, her job for the entirety of life is to destroy demons and keep evil at bay. This is not unlike our own lives in which we have to constantly deal with the shit that life so graciously provides for us and there is no way out and no end. It is our destiny. In the Whedonverse, if someone tries to short cut out of life problems, everything gets much, much worse, and it's the same in real life. In an effort to keep this spoiler free, let's just say look at Willow's story arc for the best example of how terrible things are the result of cheating life. Buffy's greatest desire is to just be a "normal" girl and never have to deal with vampires again, but the vampires never stop coming. In most ways she is very "normal." Angel is constantly tortured by his past, Spike is always in love with women that he hates, Captain Mal is still fighting a war he cannot win, and Dr. Horrible, well, he's just really messed up. Every single Joss Whedon character is constantly battling their demons and their biggest enemy is always themselves, no matter if they are a hero or a villain, complete and total peace, happiness, and contentment is simply not possible in the Whedonverse and in life, despite our constant struggle to attain it.

In addition to the constant barrage of suffering we must face, Joss also knows what the most painful thing of all is, and he exploits it for our entertainment, captivation, and reflection. The most painful thing is the universe is when we are hurt by the ones we love, or when we hurt those who love us. This idea is played out time and time again in the Whedonverse. These are not complicated philosophies I'm discussing here, it's just a simple truth and Joss Whedon expresses this pain more elegantly and humanly than any other writer I've ever experienced. This is why, in my opinion, Season Six of Buffy is the greatest season of television ever created. It's all about pain and love and the best and worst things we face everyday.

Now I don't mean to be such a downer and I'm not just a painfully tortured person, in fact I've had a pretty damn good life compared to a lot of people and I'm very grateful for that, but I still face my demons, I still face the fear and and discontentment that life's problems never stop sending me. I can only imagine how much more Joss's work means to those who have really experienced suffering in their lives. But there is still another aspect to Joss's work that validates the pain, and that is hope and finding the good where ever you can. There are a lot of writers that can tell you how shitty life is (Noah Baumbach comes to mind), but Joss also shows us hope and the merit of pushing on through all the crap, it's what we are made to do. There are still friends, and family, and joy, and laughter, and love, and it's all worth fighting for, even though the pain is around much more often than the good.

I think Joss's incomparable understanding of the human condition is best summarized by lyrics from the musical Buffy episode, "Once More, With Feeling".

"Why is the path unclear,
When we know home is near.
Understand we'll go hand in hand,
But we'll walk alone in fear. (Tell me)
Tell me where do we go from here."

I think that's pretty self explanatory. We are all searching for the ultimate contentment, our "home", our place in the universe, but we don't really know how to get there and we never will. No one knows what the future holds, but we're gonna get through it with the help of our loved ones, unfortunately, the pain is always gonna be there and only you can face yourself.

So that is why Joss Whedon is on my shirt. That is why I truly respect and adore this man's work and can only hope to create something half as good. He expresses the painful reality of life in an earnest, non-condescending, and inspirational way that resonates with me and the millions of other Whedon-loving geeks out there. Joss is definitely one of the good things in this demon-ridden world.

Now I can't force you to be a Whedonite, all I can say is that I've never met someone who disliked his work that actually spent some time discovering it. Keep on fighting the good fight, I sure will. Until next time...

"I will walk through the fire,
because where else can I turn.
I will walk through the fire,
and let it burn."

Leisure Academy: The Art of Appropriation

Appropriation emerged out of the modern art scene sometime in the early 20th century, today it exists most obviously in the world of DJ mash-up music and fan-made Youtube parody trailers. But is appropriation art? Is it kitsch? Can it be both? Or is it just post-modern garbage? ...well, I say who cares as long as its entertaining! And I'm sure everyone who has attended one of mash-up artist Girl Talk's popular live shows would agree. But for the sake of...academia...let's take a look at some of my favorite recent appropriations...

The Curious Case of Forest Gump

The Curious Case of Forrest Gump - watch more funny videos

Now I don't know if you would call this a mash-up....but it does have something critical to say about the creators of Benjamin Button. ...and it's definitely entertaining...but is it art?

Buffy Vs. Edward

As a Joss Whedon fan and fan of things that are just good in general, I really enjoy this mash-up. The creator has taken two popular teen vampire entertainments and combined them in a way that highlights the pro-feminist vision of Buffy mixed with the antiquated gender roles of Twilight and becomes a commentary on two apposing views of gender roles today.

Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

I don't think this video is official, but the music is the important part (although the visuals do add to the experience). I don't have much to say about this other than, it's clearly awesome dance party music. And it's something totally new comprised of things that other people already created.

....So let's just record scratch and cut to the chase here. I guess my conclusion is that mash-ups and appropriation are most definitely art...and it's awesome. Which is why when things like this guy getting sued for millions for mashing up Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds, and not selling it I might add, infuriates me! How dare they prevent art from happening! The guy is not even selling his musical mash-up, just putting it out there for people to enjoy, corporate bullshit! BAH! At least Girl Talk is an inspiration to mash-up artists everywhere, he sells his mash-ups and no one sues him because he's so well regarded in the music community and just great at what he does.

Anyway...why did I write a post about appropriation? Well I recently tried my hand at mash-up music..and I must say..I'm proud of myself on this one. And you are just going to have to visit my Myspace artist's page to find out what it's all about, let's just say I would probably get sued by the largest, most powerful entertainment corporation in the world if I sold this. Just call me DJ Browntown...I'm available for hire...please.

Oh, BTW, more shameless self promotion, this was not my first attempt at appropriated internet glory. Youtube recently restored the audio for my mash-up fan trailer that re-imagines Miyazaki's Totoro as a horror film. Enjoy!

Leisure on!

Extreme Leisure: Half-Dome for Dummies

A 17 miles, 14.5 hour hike up and down a rocky mountain with a 4,800" elevation gain is not typically the first thing that comes to mind when you think of leisure. However, since most Half-Dome climbers aren't getting paid to scale that beast, I suppose it technically is. ..and this is the story about my recent experience making the trek without having any training, being over weight, having had 4 hips surgeries, and in the company of 4 dads.

If you read an guides on climbing Half Dome they will usually suggest buying hiking shoes and gear long in advance so that you can break them in and test them out. I bought my shoes, Camelback, trekking poles, and water bottles 4 days before. I recommend not doing this. This should give you a good idea of just how prepared I was for this venture.

Parking to Trail Head
We arrived at our parking space around 6 a.m., sunlight was just barely peaking over the valley walls. The first portion of the Half Dome excursion is the excessively long journey from the car to the trailhead, for some reason there is no parking close to the beginning of the trail...so...this was a fun portion of unneccesary walking with 50 pounds on your back that I was very much looking forward to on the way back...at least there was no incline.

The Mist Trail
The actual trail begins with steep yet paved trails up through the valley. It was at this portion of the hike that I was most discouraged and feared that I would not make it very far. My faulty hip was getting too tired to fast, fortunately, no other portion of the hike (exluding cable climb) was as rigorous. The paved paths turn into rocky man-made steps up along the cliff next to 2 water falls. The motion of my leg climbing steps is much easier on it than climbing stepless inclines, so I was reinvigorated by this new section and by the natural beauty of the stunning waterfalls. Here is where you meet a lot of kids on unserious hikers just making the couple hour journey up to see some waterfalls. There were also some non-English speaking Japanese people, clearly not dressed for this activity, that became our hiking buddies for a goo portion of the Mist Trail.

Little Yosemite Valley
When you reach the top of the waterfalls there is a bathroom. A bathroom that signals the beginning of the flattest portion of the trek, something I'm very grateful for. It was at this bathroom that a very fit dad and his two kids warned us of the "Step of Agony" refering to the sub-dome portion of the trail we had yet to face. This was definitely the part of the trail I was fearing the most, much more than the cable climb, and these kids only sealed the deal. The valley portion of the trail has soft sand for the mule riders taking their trip up to the dome in luxury. The sand his hard to walk through but if you're lucky a harder trail will have been blazed to the side. It was at this portion that it was obvious that the beefy spaghetti sauce we had all eaten for dinner the night before may not have been the best idea. ....so much farting...John Muir would be displeased by our pollution.

Switchbacks to the Sub-Dome
After you hike through the valley you reach a endless trail of swithback leading up to the mountain's crest. Taking lots of breaks you meet a lot of different people passing you and we also met our first people coming back down. There was a pair of young guys who had been on the top of the dome for sunset. A guy and his dad who had been hiking for 30 days at that point, starting from Oregon and heading to their destination, a wedding in Mexico. By this point I was a machine in constant movement of the hills, the rest stops became the hardest part of the climb because starting up again was getting too difficult. On the mountain's crest we could see perhaps one of the most beautiful landscapes my eyes had ever seen.

The Sub-Dome
This was by far the portion I was most fearing, but as we sat on a log resting before tackling this portion we were taken aback by a man wearing flip-flops. He was French and obviously in excellent physical condition. He is also most likely the only person to ever refer to climbing Half Dome as "some little steps and zen a cable thingy." Those crazy French! So we began the dome ascent, and it turns out that it is not at all the most terrible part of the hike, an actually quite fun! Just don't trip or it will be a very steep and painful fall. I was extremely invigorated by how easy this portion of the trail was and ready for the real dome.

Some little steps and cable thingy.

The Dome
After hiding my trekking poles under a rock, I put on my gloves and attacked the dome. Pulling my self on the metal cables between wooden 2 x 4's, It seemed simple at first. It was only half way up, as my arms were starting to get tired and the rock was only getting steeper with the end seemingly getting farther, I realized that I had put myself in a life threatening situation. It's a long way to fall. And the scariest part is when people are passing you on their way back down. But I finally made it just in time before my arms fell off. And actually, the view from the top of the dome wasn't that spectacular and the top is just a rock, nothing too beautiful. The view from Glacier Point which you can drive to is better, which isn't to say it isn't beautiful atop the dome, it is, its just nothing more amazing than something you can drive too. The only reason for going to the top is for the accomplishment of saying you have made it there, and the honor of buying the shirt in the gift store when you return to the bottom. It was at the top of the dome that I realized the only thing more terrifying than coming up the cables, was going back down. Almost 90 degree angles of slick rock while you cling to a slick cable. One mistake equal dead, one mistake for someone above you also equals dead for you. But I got down, after some real breath-losing moments. And I can say that I will never be climbing those cables again, I want to live, there is no reason to risk my life like that. If you choose to climb the cables be absolutely sure you can, if you have any qualms don't do it! I wouldn't recomend anyone do it, I think there should be more warnings as to the difficulty of this task, but watching so many people going up and down constantly can give a false impression of how easy it is. You have your life and others in your hands. I fully endorse hiking up to the bottom of the cables, because it is amazing and beautiful and exhilarating, but the cables, meh.

Down the Mountain
Going down was pretty uneventful other than viewing the bear that we probably got too close too. Also there was a group of kids going up that were planning on being on top of the dome for sunset...stupid! Anyone who is going to climb those cables in the middle of the night is just stupid.

John Muir Trail
When we reached the bathroom at the top of the mountain we had a nice chat with two actors on their day off from the Rancher Ned show and we game them beef jerky. Here we chose to take the John Muir trail to the bottom rather than the Mist Trail passed the waterfall, it is a couple miles longer but much less steep. Although we finally got back long after sunset in the dark, I am so grateful we took this path. This ended up being my favorite part of the trail. It consists of epic Lord of the Rings style paths carved into the cliffs and as we passed some epic vistas at sunset while a forest fire bured on a far off mountain side I wished I had brought a boom box with me so I could blast that epic Lord of the Rings score...I'll have to do it next time.

We finally made it too the bottom alive, a bus happen to go by that took us right to our car, and then we had an amazingly delicious mediocre meal. ...and then we bought our t-shirts 10 minutes before the store closed.

Here is what I advise if you plan on taking the ultimate casual hikers excursion. Go on some practice hikes, take a lot of water, take a lot of protein bars and energy foods, don't push too hard, just "stroll with a goal," rest every hour or so, and get some trekking poles if you can, I probably wouldn't have made it to the top without them, they take so much pressure off your legs. Have a positive attitude, talk with the other people on the trail, you should have a great time, just don't climb the cables unless you know you can handle it.

In the end I proved to the world, my family, and myself that I can do a 17 mile hike without training and that I'm maybe in better physical condition than one might think, at least in better condition than my dad. I'm ready to hike some more.

Leisure on!

Leisure Academy: Top 10 Disneyland Secrets to Enhance Your Visit

Being funemployed has many perks, one of which is being able to go to Disneyland, a true leisure kingdom, on a fairly regular basis. On my most recent trip to the House of Mouse I was taken by my fellow amusement seekers' Disney procedure ignorance. Now my friends are not hicks from Montana who don't know there Fastpass from their standby lines, I'm talking about Southern California Disney veterans. So, this made me think that if they don't know these things, there are probably a ton of other people who don't either. So without further delay, here are my top 10 Disney not-so-secret tips and tricks to make your visit a little more magical.

#10: The Gift of Tortilla
Everyone knows that at the Mission Tortilla Factory inside Disney's California Adventure (DCA) every guest receives one free delicious sample tortilla, but did you know that if you have a birthday button they will give you a bag of about 8! You can share them with your friends, you can enjoy them all at once as a meal, you can save them as snack to eat throughout the day, or you can take them home. It's up to you, it's your birthday after all!

*Bonus Tip* Birthday buttons don't have dates, so once you get one, it can be your birthday every visit!

#9: The Daring Adventure to the Parking Structure
At the downtown Disney tram stop there are two tram loading stations. Everyone lines up at the first, closest tram loading station creating lines of 2-3 tram fulls deep. If you're not paralyzed by the end-of-Disney-day coma, walk 50 more feet to the the second tram loading dock and sit right down in your seat. Enjoy the fact that you are going to be back at the parking structure 15 minutes before all those lazy/dumb people you just passed.

*Bonus Tip* Don't leave right at the end of the fireworks or a Fantasmic! performance, or else risk making the journey back to the car much, much longer.

#8: The Dyson Dryer Experience
At DCA they just installed a new bathroom in the old San Fransisco st. area across from the old Golden Dreams Theater/new Voyage of the Little Mermaid construction site. What is so special about this bathroom you ask? Well it features the amazing new Dyson hand-drying airblade contraptions that turbo dry your hands while giving them an air message. Not only is it a unique drying experience, but it is hygienic (it cleans the air before blowing it on your hands!), takes less energy to use than a normal hand drying, and you never have to use a paper towel. It's fun and green!

#7: Right is Right
When your line comes to a fork in the road, always take the path on the right. At Pirates of the Caribbean the right side of the line is shorter. On California Screamin' and Indiana Jones, ride vehicles that leave from the right boarding station will usually end at the opposite left boarding station closer to the exit, which means you do not have to climb up and down the stairs to get over the track and exit the ride.

*Bonus Tip* Disregard this tip when it comes to the Matterhorn, for more details read #4.

#6 Easter Every Day on Toy Story Mania
Every screen in Toy Story Mania has a strategy and a hidden Easter egg bonus that if triggered can get you the big points. Gain the envy and respect of everyone in your party by knowing how to unlock the secrets to high scoring. This article will tell you everything you need to know.

#5: Tortilla Joe's
By far the best food deals I have ever experienced at the Disneyland Resort are from the walk up window at Tortilla Joe's in Downtown Disney. For about 6 bucks you can get an enormous nacho platter covered in carnitas or beef enough to feed at least two people. They also accept the 10% discount if you are a season pass holder. So you can get that enormous nacho platter for less than 6 dollars! The other menu items are also pretty good and reasonably priced (for Disney).

#4: Getting the Most Out of Your Bobsled Run
Despite having opened in 1959, the Matterhorn Bobsleds can be the most fun and intense attraction in the park when approached correctly. The first step is to always choose the Tomorrowland side of the mountain, it is faster, longer, and more fun. The second (and most important) step is weight distribution. The best bobsled run I have ever been on we had 2 people in the very front seat of the first car, one in the back seat of the first car, one smaller person in the front of the back car, and no one in the back of the back car. Or more simply, put all the weight in the front, it will create more momentum. Weight in the back slows it down. And my final ride advise is to ride it at night, not only is it cooler looking (as everything at Disneyland is at night) but the track gets lubed up, decreasing track friction, from the bobsled splashing into the water every rotation all day long. Heed this advise and your Matterhorn run will be more insane than Space Mountain.

#3: Up Into the Castle
You can go into Sleeping Beauty's castle. Inside you will find dioramas depicting the story of Sleeping Beauty. This attraction originally opened in 1957 and the dioramas were in the style of Eyvind Earle, production designer on the 1959 Disney animated film version. In 1977 they changed the style of the dioramas to look more like the window displays on Main Street. After September 11th, 2001 the castle was sadly closed down out of fear of a terrorist attack at the Happiest Place on Earth. Seven years later it reopened with all new dioramas in Earle's original style and new technology to enhance the experience. It is a classic Disney attraction full of retro-sheik charm and there is hardly ever a line.

The Art of Eyvind Earle

#2: Happiest Happy Hour on Earth
Ariel's Grotto restaurant at DCA has a FULL BAR. I'm sure the prices are excessive and there is no actual happy hour at The Cove Bar, but the novelty of downing a whiskey coke at a place where you can meet Prince Eric is too awesome to pass up!

*Bonus Tip* DCA also has a wine place (I know nothing about wine), a margarita stand (they aren't very strong), and a Karl Strauss beer truck that sells six of the company's handcrafted brews, including a seasonal selection.

Now go watch the Brother Bear Totem Ceremony!

#1: Knowing The Intricacies of the Fastpass System
The amount of Fastpass ignorance I have experienced is astounding. The absolute most important thing to know about your Fastpass is that you can use it ANY time after the designated ride time, not just within the hour long window printed on the ticket. Disney just puts those times on there to try and control you, but they have never, ever stopped me from entering a Fastpass queue because I was four hours later than my ticket reads. This is important to know so you don't have to stress about reaching your Fastpass ride on time when you are waiting in another huge line on the opposite side of the park. The second thing to know is that you can get your next Fastpass either at the designated ride time of the previous ticket you received or two hours after you picked up the previous ticket, which ever comes first. The time at which you can pick up a new Fastpass is printed right on the ticket. The third thing you should know is that Fastpasses for Disneyland and DCA are mutually exclusive, the time restriction of getting your next Fastpass is only valid inside that park, but go to the other park and you can get another immediately. This tip is for the extreme park hopper only.

Well that's it, I hope these tips take a little stress off, save a little more time, or add a little more fun to your next trip to the Disneyland Resort in beautiful Anaheim, California. They have always worked for me!

Until next time, leisure on!

We took the right side.

LesiureRewind: Comprehending the Cultural Standing of Tom Petty and Huey Lewis

Today I'm going to spend my funemployment time writing about two popular bands from the 80's that I enjoy immensely, Huey Lewis and the News and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I have dedicated a significant amount of my leisure time to these guys, listening to their albums, playing their music, collecting their LP's, impersonating them in karaoke, and debating their pop icon status. Although both artists have well-named back-up bands and have produced impressive catalogues of excellent pop songs and creative videos, one is clearly dominating the other today. The question that I will be grappling with is: why does Tom Petty perform in the nation's premiere concert venues, selling out highly priced tickets, while Huey Lewis preforms in a dirt lot built for monster truck shows, free with admission, at the Ventura County Fair?

First lets examine the facts:
Tom Petty has never had a #1 hit single nor a #1 album, Huey Lewis has had 3 #1 singles ("The Power of Love", "Stuck with You", "Jacob's Ladder") and 2 #1 albums (Sports and Fore!). On average Huey's singles and albums rank higher overall.

Tom Petty has never written the theme song to a mega blockbuster movie. Huey Lewis has.

Tom Petty has never starred in a movie. Huey Lewis has.

Tom Petty has never been parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Huey Lewis has.

Huey Lewis is a much better vocalist than Tom Petty.

Based on a list of accomplishments Huey Lewis should be making his acceptance speech the the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame right now, and yet his LP's are banished to the bargain bins at Goodwill, while Petty's are excessively priced collectibles. What went wrong? When the Apatow gang announced that Lewis would be writing the theme song to last year's Pineapple Express, the interwebs were buzzing with the possibility of a Huey Lewis renaissance, but, sadly that plan failed (especially because of the criminal absence of the song from the Academy Award's eligible nominee list). Why? The song was great!

Perhaps the answer to universal Tom Petty love and Huey Lewis ambivalence, lies in the style of their music. The News merge blues, pop, and doo-wap style vocals into synth driven power ballads and pop anthems while maintaining a subtle, cynical sense of humor, often criticizing the culture of corporate America. The Heartbreakers are a "heartland" rock band, often producing simple, acoustic guitar driven, tracks with a message of social injustice. Too put it more simply, Lewis is fun, irreverent, and does not take himself too seriously. Tom Petty is trying to change the world through serious blue collar music. Both philosophies are equally valid and I respect and enjoy them both, however, the populace does not agree.

If you were to make a graph of these two bands careers, you would see Tom Petty's slowly but steadily increasing up until the late nineties where it levels off at a substantial height and never decreases. Lewis's graph would be more like a mountain that reaches it's peak around 1986. There is no doubt that in the mid-80's Huey reached a level of fame higher than Tom ever will, but that is not the case today. The music of the Heartbreakers has permeated even the youngest generations of today, everybody know the chorus to "Free Fallin'", and has ingrained itself into the nation's musical consciousness. It somehow has a transgenerational appeal that may prove to be timeless. The music of the News, however, as was made so evidently clear while I waited in line with the Bluetooth sporting dads to be as close to the band as possible, will most likely die off with Mr. Lewis and will only be remembered in reference to Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and flux capacitors.

Perhaps its the heavy synthesizers, which give the News their distinctively 80's vibe, that make them out-dated and uncool. Or maybe the nation is just into socially conscious music, but I don't think so. I'm pretty sure the average listener is not analyzing Tom Petty's messages of moral decay or recognizing the hidden wit of Huey Lewis. It all has to come down to the music. The News sounds outdated, the Heartbreakers have a simple rock foundation that makes them sound contemporary in any musical climate. Also, both bands emit auras of different kinds of cool, unfortunately, Lewis's style has become somewhat of a punch line these days, while Petty's remains culturally relevant and hip. I obviously knew the answer to my question long before I started this blog post, but it was fun to write about and anyway I can promote the dancetastic, feel-good melodies of Huey Lewis is worthwhile. I guess all I can do to close this post is to tell you to familiarize yourself with both of these fine musicians, if you aren't already, because they are awesome! I can only hope these aging rockers continue to rock long into their Rolling Stones, geriatric ages! And remember: You don't have to live like a refugee and it is, in fact, hip to be square.

Leisure On!

Leisure Academy: German-Style Board Games

Over the course of the last couple years, I have had the great fortune of stumbling into the world of strategy board games. Previously unknown to me, and to probably most of Earth's population, is a vast collection and subculture of expertly designed, aesthetically pleasing, and intellectually stimulating board games. We are not talking about your Monopolys, or Apples to Apples, or Magic: The Gatherings here, we are talking about the kind of game that most people will only experience as a shelf filler on the lower most, out-of-the-way, endcap at Barnes and Noble. These games are typically found at local board game, hobby, or "educational" toy stores...a place where only geeks have ventured, but I assure you these are games that anyone who enjoys playing a good game with their friends should know about. And the most highly regarded of the strategy board games are the German-style games. I'll let Wikipedia define them further:

German-style board games are a broad class of tabletop games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, high levels of player interaction, and attractive physical components. The games emphasise strategy, downplay luck and conflict, lean towards economic rather than military themes, and usually keep all the players in the game until it ends. German-style games are sometimes contrasted with American-style games, which generally involve more luck, conflict, and drama.

German-style games are usually less abstract than chess, but more abstract than wargames and traingames. Likewise, they generally require more thought and planning than party games, such as Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit, but less than strategy games, such as chess and Go. Their rulebooks are typically four to twelve pages long and playing times are on the order of 30 to 120 minutes. These games appeal to a wide range of ages, though generally not very young children. The audience includes casual gamers, who play with family and friends, as well as more serious hobby gamers.

Another cool aspect of these games is the designer as an auteur. You've probably never heard the names Klaus Teuber, Alan R. Moon, or Andreas Seyfarth, but in the world of boardgames these men are rockstars. There are a number of game designers who have developed quite the following of players who will buy their products simply because of the name of the designer. We're talking Steven Spielberg status. Germany loves it's boardgames so much that they award the coveted Spiel des Jahres ("game of the year") to the year's most excellent game. It is hard to imagine this bizarro land where boardgame designers are so revered and respected, but I think it is pretty sweet for such creativity and ingenuity to be recognized. Thanks to Xbox's release of virtual versions of some of these game titles, German-style games are reaching new audiences and gaining more and more popularity. Personally, I'm just a n00b in the German board game world, but I intend to explore it further and I encourage anyone who enjoys games, but is frustrated with the lopsidedness and luck factors of American games like Monopoly and Risk, to head out to your local hobby shop and pick out a German game. I promise it will be a more rewarding and stimulating experience than sitting around watching Top Chef. And now I will provide my thoughts on some of the most popular games I have enjoyed, but these are just the tip of a humongous iceberg.

The Settlers of Catan:
Klaus Teuber's Catan is often considered the "greatest game ever made" and I'm not one to disagree. The perfectly balanced board, multiple avenues of winning strategy, aesthetically pleasing elements, and just the right amount of luck make this resource management and trade game one of the crown jewels of boardgames. The game builds in intensity as each player tries to develop their colony on the new found island of Catan. The expansion sets also add new and fun ways to play, Seafarers of Catan is probably my favorite way to play.

Puerto Rico:
Like Catan, Andreas Seyfarth's game is a race to develop your colony of the recently discovered New World of tropical Puerto Rico. Unlike Catan, however, Puerto Rico is completely void of the luck element, and winning is entirely based on out-strategizing the opposing players. This makes the game more difficult to learn and master, while also proving frustrating when there are different levels of players competing in the same match. There is also a lack of fun and colorful game elements, but that does not mean its not a worthy challenge when engaged in a heated match between similarly experienced players.

Carcassonne:
A personal favorite of mine is a game based on the French Medieval town of Carcassone. Players take turns placing randomly chosen pieces of land to form the Medieval city and create their own castles, cloisters, and farms without having them stolen by encroaching players' "meeples." This unique gameplay mechanic makes every game a unique puzzle. With an endless supply of expansions and land tiles you can customize the game to be as short or as epic as you have time for. "The Princess and the Dragon" or "Traders and Builders" are both worthy expansions that enhance and enrich the simple and addicting gameplay.

Ticket to Ride:
Alan R. Moon's train game for 2-5 players is simple to learn and fun for the whole family. On a beautifully detailed board designed as a map of turn-of-the-century United States, players compete to build railroads across the nation and connect America's cities. It's easy, fast moving, and my mom loves it. There is a unique secrecy game play mechanic that make it so you do not know who the winner will be until the absolute end of the game, so players always feel like they are "in" the game as you never know who is ahead. If you get tired of unifying America, there is also a gameboard for Europe or the more focused Germany and Nordic Countries gameboards designed for 2-3 players.
So I guess that's it for now...go straight from work and pick up some sweet German-style boardgames! They are a great way to spend your free time with friends and family.

Leisure On!

Leisure Revolution: Lost Parties

What if you combined the fun of partying with your friends with the entertainment value of watching excellent prime time television? Leisure enthusiasts across the globe have been pioneering just that! In the last few years, the popularity of Lost viewing parties have grown from a few geeks in a dorm room to full fledged Wednesday night galas. There are even numerous websites dedicated to suggesting tips on hosting your Lost themed parties with Lost menus, Lost decorations, and Lost activities. No other TV show has become an event series quite like Lost.

But why, you might ask, would I bring this up in the middle of summer? Lost does not even return until January! Well, my friends, I just had the honor and privilege of attending my first Lost Luau. It was an all day event at a beach side campsite filled with Lost-themed activities and general adoration of this ABC drama complete with a roast pig, Lost costumes, a Lost music compilation contest, Dharma side dish competition, and a Lost volleyball tournament between The Others and the Dharma Initiative (designated by custom team t-shirt uniforms). The invitation was even in the style of a viral Lost parody video! The extensive planning and theming would impress even the most ignorant to Lost mythology. Despite the fact that there was no actual Lost episode viewing, I am confident that this was one of the finest Lost parties ever thrown. I cannot thank my host enough for all the work put into this amazing event, from the Lost-cake to the customized Lost t-shirts and dog tag party favors.

And for that I would like to recognize Bryan Stovold, Luau King, for his inventive contributions to leisure culture as a true Leisure Visionary.

But with the Lost series finale only a season away, will the Lost party phenomenon continue as fans re-watch the DVDs or will they move on to a new show? Will we be seeing Fringe or perhaps True Blood gatherings? Or will Lost be the beginning and the end of TV show themed parties? For me the idea of a Lost Luau won’t be getting old any time soon, so keep them coming Bryan, and thanks again! I look forward to sampling a Jin-and-tonic next time.

Leisure On!

LeisureVision: Shark Week

Just a reminder to those of you relaxing on your couches this evening: its SHARK WEEK! If you are tired of hearing about health care bills and Bill Clinton rescuing journalists, turn on the Discovery Channel because there is nothing like a full week of the ocean's most ferocious creatures mutilating flesh in their awesome jaws (especially in HD). It only happens once a year!

Leisure n.

According to Wikipedia:

"Leisure or free time, is a period of time spent out of work and essential domestic activity. It is also the period of recreational and discretionary time before or after compulsory activities such as eating and sleeping, going to work or running a business, attending school and doing homework, household chores, and day-to-day stress."